Method and apparatus for transporting and processing a plurality of articles

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for transporting and processing a plurality of articles includes a conveyer structured to convey a plurality of articles along a conveyer path and at least one processing station provided along the conveyer path to perform at least one processing operation. The conveyer path includes at least one loop or festoon.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/742,879, filed Dec. 7, 2005, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to processing of articles, e.g.,pharmaceuticals such as caplets and tablets, edible or non-ediblearticles. In particular, the present invention relates to a method andapparatus for transporting a plurality of articles past at least oneprocessing station.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Processing of articles, e.g., pharmaceuticals such as caplets andtablets, edible or non-edible articles, are known in the art. Processingoperations typically include marking the articles with indicia, coloringthe articles, and/or coating the articles. Processing operations areoften performed in a sequential manner wherein articles are conveyedpast a first processing unit that performs a first processing operationand then past a second processing unit, downstream from the firstprocessing unit, that performs a second processing operation.

For example, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a known processing apparatus 10including a conveyer 12 to convey articles along a conveyer path andfirst and second printing stations 14, 16 provided along the conveyerpath to perform first and second printing operations. In FIG. 1, thefirst and second printing stations 14, 16 each include an ink pan 20, adesign roll 22, and an offset printing roll 24 as is known in the art.However, one or both of the first and second printing stations 14, 16may include an inkjet printer 30 as shown in FIG. 2. Also, the first andsecond printing stations are located on a portion of the conveyer pathwhich is substantially linear.

During the printing operation, drying of the first printing operationmay be required before the second printing operation is performed, e.g.,to prevent smearing, smudging, etc. To provide the required drying timebetween the first and second printing operations, the conveyer speed maybe adjusted, i.e., slowed down, and/or the horizontal length of theconveyer path between the first and second printing stations 14, 16 maybe adjusted, i.e., lengthened. However, adjusting the conveyer speedslows production and adjusting the horizontal length of the conveyerpath between the first and second printing stations 14, 16 increases thesize of the apparatus. Thus, there is a need in the art for an improvedmethod and apparatus for transporting a plurality of articles pastsequential processing stations that does not suffer from theabove-mentioned drawbacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the invention relates to a method and apparatus fortransporting a plurality of articles in a manner that increases traveltime.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a method and apparatus fortransporting a plurality of articles past sequential processing stationsin a manner that increases the travel time between the sequentialprocessing stations.

Another aspect of the invention relates to an apparatus for transportingand processing a plurality of articles. The apparatus includes aconveyer structured to convey a plurality of articles along a conveyerpath and at least one processing station provided along the conveyerpath to perform at least one processing operation. The conveyer pathincludes at least one loop or festoon.

Yet another aspect of the invention relates to a method for transportingand processing a plurality of articles. The method includes conveyingthe plurality of articles past at least one processing station toperform at least one processing operation, and conveying the pluralityof articles along a loop or festoon.

Still another aspect of the invention relates to a conveyer forconveying a plurality of articles along a conveyer path. The conveyerincludes a plurality of carrier bars structured to convey the pluralityof articles along the conveyer path. Each of the carrier bars includesone or more article receiving pockets along its length. An adjustmentmechanism individually adjusts a position of each carrier bar relativeto the conveyer path.

Other aspects, features, and advantages of this invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are a part of thisdisclosure and which illustrate, by way of example, principles of thisinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings facilitate an understanding of the variousembodiments of this invention. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a known apparatus for transporting a pluralityof articles past sequential printing stations;

FIG. 2 is a side view of another known apparatus for transporting aplurality of articles past sequential printing stations;

FIG. 3 is a side view of an apparatus for transporting and processing aplurality of articles according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4A is a top view of a sample carrier bar for the apparatus shown inFIG. 3;

FIG. 4B is a side view of the carrier bar shown in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 is a side view of an apparatus for transporting a plurality ofarticles according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a side view of apparatus for transporting a plurality ofarticles according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a side view of apparatus for transporting a plurality ofarticles according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view of a conveyer according to an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view of a conveyer according to anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a side view of an apparatus for transporting a plurality ofarticles according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a side view of an apparatus for transporting a plurality ofarticles according to yet another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12A is a schematic side view of an apparatus for transporting aplurality of articles according to yet another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 12B is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 12A;

FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conveyer chainsupport, conveyer chains, a carrier bar, and a quick-release system ofthe apparatus shown in FIG. 12A;

FIG. 13B is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 13A;

FIG. 14 is a side view of a carrier bar according to an embodiment ofthe present invention and showing exemplary dimensions of an embodiment;and

FIG. 15 is a side view showing adjacent carriers bars and showingexemplary dimensions of an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 3 illustrates an apparatus 100 for transporting and processing aplurality of articles according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. As illustrated, the apparatus 100 includes a conveyer 110 toconvey the articles along a conveyer path 112 and first and secondprocessing stations 120, 130 provided along the conveyer path 112 toperform first and second processing operations. As described in greaterdetail below, the conveyer 110 is structured such that the conveyer path112 has a looping, festooning, or curved configuration between the firstand second processing stations 120, 130. This arrangement increases thelength of the conveyer path 112 between the first and second processingstations 120, 130, thereby increasing the travel time it takes forarticles to pass from the first processing station 120 to the secondprocessing station 130. The increased travel time between stations maybe used for drying the articles and/or performing other processingoperations on the articles, for example.

In an embodiment, the apparatus 100 may include a single processingstation along the conveyer path 112 and the looping configuration of theconveyer path 112 may be provided for drying the articles before theconveyer path 112 ends, e.g., articles are dumped by the conveyer 110,so that the articles do not smudge. That is, a conveyer path 112 with alooping configuration may be provided in an apparatus having at leastone processing station in order to increase the travel time of thearticles, e.g., for drying purposes. The looping configuration may beprovided upstream and/or downstream of the at least one processingstation. For example, the apparatus may include a processing station,e.g., drying tunnel, along the conveyer path, and the loopingconfiguration may be provided downstream of the processing station. Thisexample need not include a subsequent or second processing stationbefore the articles are removed (e.g., dumped) from the conveyer.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the conveyer 110 includes a plurality ofcarrier bars 140 structured to convey a plurality of articles along theconveyer path 112. The articles may be pharmaceutical articles, ediblearticles, or non-edible articles, and may be in the form of capsules,caplets, pills, tablets, and other spherical, oval, cylindrical, orpolygonal shapes, as well as irregularly shaped articles. The conveyer110 is supported upon a frame that is also structured to support thefirst and second processing stations 120, 130, a dispenser 150, and abin 160 where non-acceptable or acceptable articles are collected. Sucha frame arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,905,589 and 5,655,453,which are each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The dispenser 150, e.g. a feed hopper, is disposed over the conveyer 110to receive a supply of articles and deliver the articles onto theconveyer 110. As the conveyer 110 is drawn beneath the dispenser 150,the carrier bars 140 will become filled with articles.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, each of the carrier bars 140 is providedwith one or more article receiving pockets 142 disposed along theirlength. Each pocket 142 is suitably contoured so as to generally conformto the exterior shape of the article. The pockets 142 may be suitablymodified to accommodate any suitable shape and size of article.

The pockets 142 of the carrier bars 140 operate to receive and entrainthe articles from the dispenser 150 and move the articles along theconveyer path 112. In the illustrated embodiment, each carrier bar 140has three pockets 142. However, the carrier bars 140 may be providedwith any number of pockets 142 disposed along their length. For example,the number of pockets 142 may be varied by simply varying the number ofpockets 142 that are placed in line along the manufactured carrier bars.The pockets 142 may be staggered to achieve an even greater pocketdensity. Further, it is possible to stagger the pockets 142 alongcarrier bars having scalloped edges to further increase pocket densityand conserve space.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first and second processing stations120, 130 are in the form of first and second marking apparatuses 122,132 for marking desired indicia onto the articles. As shown in FIG. 5,each of the first and second marking apparatuses 122, 132 may include anink pan 170, a design roll 172 that forms the indicia to be applied tothe articles (and which is disposed within an appropriate supply of inkin the ink pan 170), and an offset printing roll 174 which is in contactwith both the design roll 172 and the articles which are to receive theindicia, for transferring the ink-laden indicia from the design roll 172to the articles in question. Further details of such a marking apparatusare shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,528,904 and 5,655,453 to Mr. E. MichaelAckley, Jr., which are each incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

However, one or both of the first and second marking apparatuses 122,132 may include an inkjet printer. For example, FIG. 6 illustrates anembodiment wherein the first marking apparatus 122 includes a contactprinter, e.g., an ink pan 170, design roll 172, and printing roll 174,and the second marking apparatus 132, downstream from the first markingapparatus 122, includes an inkjet printer 180. FIG. 7 illustrates anembodiment wherein the first marking apparatus 122 includes an inkjetprinter 180 and the second marking apparatus 132, downstream from thefirst marking apparatus 122, includes an ink pan 170, design roll 172,and printing roll 174. However, the first and second marking apparatuses122, 132 may have other suitable arrangements, e.g., both are inkjetprinters 180.

In general, aspects of the invention are applicable to any process whereone or more operations are performed and that require additional time,e.g., between operations. In an embodiment, at least one of theprocessing stations may include a drying tunnel with a heating element.

In use, the carrier bars 140 convey the articles past the first andsecond marking apparatuses 122, 132 that perform first and secondmarking operations on the articles which are coordinated with another.For example, the first and second marking apparatuses 122, 132 mayserially print component images of a composite image on the articles inregistered relationship with one another.

Because the image being printed on the articles is a composite image, itis preferable that the first component image printed on the articles bythe first marking apparatus 122 dries before the second component imageis printed on the articles by the second marking apparatus 132, e.g., toprevent smearing. To provide sufficient drying time between the firstand second printing operations, the conveyer path 112 has a looping,festooning, or curved configuration between the first and second markingapparatuses 122, 132 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5-7.

Specifically, after passing by the first marking apparatus 122, theconveyer 110 will cause the articles to pass through a loop 190 or curvebefore proceeding to the second marking apparatus 132. The loop 190provides a vertical component to the conveyer path 112 between the firstand second marking apparatuses 122, 132 so that the length of theconveyer path 112, and hence the travel time, between the first andsecond processing stations 120, 130 is increased without substantiallyincreasing the horizontal or linear length between the first and secondprocessing stations 120, 130. Thus, the overall size of the apparatus100 can remain substantially the same and provide a loop 190, e.g., adrying loop, for use in providing sufficient drying time for sequentialprinting operations.

As illustrated, the loop 190 in the conveyer path 112 includes a firstdeclining portion 192, a first inclining portion 193, a second decliningportion 194, and a second inclining portion 195. In the illustratedembodiment, the loop 190 extends vertically higher than the remainingportions of the conveyer path. However, the loop 190 may have otherconfigurations to increase the travel time as described below. Moreover,the conveyer 110 may provide one or more loops 190 along the conveyerpath 112. In another embodiment, extra time can be created by directingarticles in a serpentine path in a horizontal plane.

In order to prevent the articles from falling out of the carrier bars140 as the carriers bars 140 travel along the loop 190 (e.g., due togravity), the carrier bars 140 are each rotatably mounted so that thearticle receiving pockets 142 are maintained in a generally upwardlyfacing orientation.

Specifically, the conveyer 110 is in the form of a continuous chainconveyer disposed upon appropriately positioned sprockets. A motor unitis provided to operate the chain conveyer in a predetermined direction.The chain conveyer is constructed and arranged to rotatably mount, e.g.,and releasably mount, the carrier bars 140 for collecting the articlesfrom the dispenser 150 and for conveying the collected articles past thefirst and second marking apparatuses 122, 132.

As best shown in FIG. 4B, each carrier bar 140 is provided with a pinhole 144 in a side thereof. As illustrated, the pin hole 144 is offsetfrom the center of gravity. The chain conveyer includes a plurality ofmounting pins that extend into the pin hole 144 of a respective carrierbar 140. In use, each carrier bar 140 is allowed to rotate with respectthe chain conveyer so that the carrier bar 140 stays in a verticalorientation which maintains the article receiving pockets 142 in agenerally upwardly facing orientation as best shown in FIG. 8. However,the carrier bars may be movably mounted with respect to the chainconveyor in other suitable manners, e.g., sliding, translating, etc.

In an alternative embodiment, the articles may be maintained withinrespective article receiving pockets of the carrier bars by a vacuum. Asshown in FIG. 9, the conveyer may include carrier bars 240 that arenon-rotatably mounted to the chain conveyer so that pockets 242 assume asideways orientation as the carriers bars 240 travel along the loop 190.As illustrated, each carrier bar 240 is provided with one or morearticle receiving pockets 242 and a throughhole 243 extending from eachpocket 242 to the bottom of the carrier bar 240. One or more vacuumunits 264 may be provided on an interior portion of the conveyer andoperable to provide a vacuum that maintains the articles in respectivearticle receiving pockets 242 via the throughhole 243. The articles canbe maintained in the pockets using other methods, such as shown in U.S.Patent Application No. 10/695,834, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

As shown in FIG. 3, the chain conveyer forms the conveyer path 112 thatprogresses along an incline portion 152 extending from the dispenser150, to a generally horizontal portion 124 extending past the firstmarking apparatus 122, to a loop 190, to a generally horizontal portion134 extending past the second marking apparatus 132, and through adeclining portion 162 where the articles are discharged into the bin160.

The articles may be discharged into the bin 160 in any suitable manner.For example, if the carrier bars 140 are movably mounted, e.g.,rotatably, the articles may be discharged via a tilting mechanism thattilts each of the carrier bars 140 to discharge or dump the articles(see FIG. 3). Alternatively, a vacuum may be provided on an exteriorportion of the conveyer to vacuum the articles from the carrier bars140. If the carrier bars 240 are non-rotatably mounted, the articles maybe discharged by releasing a vacuum provided by the vacuum unit 264 sothat the articles can fall out of the carrier bars 240 at the decliningportion 162 by gravity. In another embodiment, the articles may bedischarged by a blower that discharges articles outwardly from thecarrier bars, e.g., as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/705,821, filed Nov. 13, 2003, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

In the above described embodiment, the increased time between stationswas utilized to increase the drying time. However, the added travel timeprovided by the loop 190 may also be used for performing otherprocessing operations on the articles. For example, FIG. 10 illustratesanother embodiment of an apparatus for transporting and processing aplurality of articles. As illustrated, the apparatus 200 includes aconveyer 210 to convey the articles along a conveyer path 212 and first,second, and third processing stations 220, 230, 236 provided along theconveyer path 212 to perform first, second, and third processingoperations. The conveyer path 212 provides a first loop 290 between thefirst and second processing stations 220, 230 and a second loop 291between the second and third processing stations 230, 236. In addition,a first supplemental processing station 202 is provided along the firstloop 290 and a second supplemental processing station 204 is providedalong the second loop 291.

Similar to the above-described embodiment, the first, second, and thirdprocessing stations 220, 230, 236 may be in the form of first, second,and third marking apparatuses for marking desired indicia onto thearticles. The loops 290, 291 between adjacent marking apparatusesproviding sufficient drying time for the sequential printing operations.Moreover, the loops 290, 291 provide additional time for performingother operations. For example, the first and second supplementalprocessing stations 202, 204 may be in the form of blowers and/orheaters that facilitate drying of the articles between stations. Inanother embodiment, the first and second supplemental processingstations 202, 204 may be in the form of inspection units configured toinspect the articles and determine if the printing operations have beenproperly completed. An exemplary inspection unit is disclosed in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/705,821, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIG. 11 illustrates another embodiment of an apparatus for transportingand processing a plurality of articles. As illustrated, the apparatus300 includes a conveyer 310 to convey the articles along a conveyer path312 and first and second processing stations 320, 330 provided along theconveyer path 312 to perform first and second processing operations. Theconveyer path 312 provides a loop 390 between the first and secondprocessing stations 320, 330 to increase the travel time between thefirst and second processing stations 320, 330. In the illustratedembodiment, the loop 390 in the conveyer path 312 includes an incliningportion 392, a first horizontal portion 393 that conveys the articles ina direction opposite to that of the horizontal portion 124, a secondhorizontal portion 394 that conveys the articles in the same directionas the horizontal portion 124, and a declining portion 395.

FIGS. 12A-15 illustrate another embodiment of an apparatus fortransporting and processing a plurality of articles. The apparatus 400includes a conveyer 410 to convey the articles along a conveyer path412. In the illustrated embodiment, the conveyer path 412 includes afeed area 401, a first processing area 403, a drying zone 405, a secondprocessing area 407, an inspection and rejection area 409, and adischarge area 411.

As shown in FIG. 12A, a dispenser 450, e.g., feed hopper, is providedalong the feed area 401 of the conveyer path 412 to receive a supply ofarticles and deliver the articles onto the conveyer 410. The angle A ofthe conveyer path 412 along the feed area 401 may be suitably adjustedto facilitate the feeding process. First and second processing stations420, 430 are provided along the first and second processing areas 403,407 of the conveyer path 412 to perform first and second processingoperations. The first and second processing stations 420, 430 mayinclude any suitable marking apparatus for marking or printing thearticles, e.g., rotogravure, ink jet, laser drilling, etc. A loop region490 is provided along the drying zone 405 of the conveyer path 412 toincrease the travel time, and hence the drying time, between the firstand second processing stations 420, 430. In the illustrated embodiment,the loop region 490 in the conveyer path 412 includes one or more loops(in this embodiment two loops). The two loops include a first decliningportion 492, a first inclining portion 493, a second declining portion494, and a second inclining portion 495. However, two or more loopregions may be provided along the drying zone 405 of the conveyer path412. An inspection unit 436 may be provided along the inspection andrejection area 409 of the conveyer path 412 to inspect the articles anddetermine if printing or other operations have been properly completed.In addition, a rejection unit 438 may be provided along the inspectionand rejection area 409 of the conveyer path 412 to collect rejected ornon-acceptable articles identified by the inspection unit 436. Adischarge bin 460 is provided along the discharge area 411 of theconveyer path 412 to collect acceptable articles identified by theinspection unit 436.

As shown in FIGS. 12A, 13A and 13B, the conveyer 410 includes first andsecond spaced-apart conveyer chains 414, 416 disposed upon appropriatelypositioned sprockets, a conveyer chain support 418 to support and guidethe first and second conveyer chains 414, 416 along the conveyer path412, a plurality of carrier bars 440 rotatably and releasably mountedbetween the first and second conveyer chains 414, 416, and aquick-release system 478 (FIG. 13A) to rotatably and releasably mounteach carrier bar 440 between the first and second conveyer chains 414,416. The dashed line in FIG. 12A represents the pitch line of theconveyer chains 414, 416 and carrier bar attachment. The solid line inFIG. 12A represents a cam track to control rotation of the carrier bars440 for required processing in use, as described below.

Referring to FIGS. 13A and 13B, the conveyer chain support 418 ismounted to the main frame of the apparatus. The conveyer chain support418 includes a first chain support 421 that supports and guides thefirst conveyer chain 414 and a second chain support 423 that supportsand guides the second conveyer chain 416. As illustrated, each chainsupport 421, 423 is in the form of a guide rail and includes acontinuous slot 425 for receiving and entraining the respective conveyerchain 414, 416 therein. The slot 425 forms or defines the conveyer path412 and guides the conveyer chains 414, 416 along the same.

Each of the carrier bars 440 is provided with one or more articlereceiving pockets 442 disposed along its length. The pockets 442 may besuitably modified or contoured to accommodate any suitable shape andsize of article. Also, each lateral side wall of the carrier bar 440 isprovided with a respective pin hole 444, 445. The pin holes 444, 445 areadapted to receive respective mounting pins of the quick-release system478.

In the illustrated embodiment, the quick-release system 478 includes afixed mounting pin 482 adapted to extend through the conveyer chain 414and into one pin hole 444 of a respective carrier bar 440 and aquick-release retractable mounting pin 484 adapted to extend through theother conveyer chain 416 and into the other pin hole 445 of a respectivecarrier bar 440. The fixed pin 482 on one side of the carrier bar 440and the quick-release pin 484 on the other side of the carrier bar 440allows easy insertion and extraction of the carrier bar 440 from theconveyer 410.

As best shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, each conveyer chain 414, 416 is inthe form of a hollow pin conveyer chain and includes a plurality ofhollow pins 417 adapted to receive respective mounting pinstherethrough. As illustrated in FIG. 13A, the fixed pin 482 extendsthrough the hollow pin 417 of the conveyer chain 414 and into the pinhole 444 of the carrier bar 440. The fixed pin 482 may supported withinthe hollow pin 417 by a bushing or other suitable support member. Also,the fixed pin 482 may be fixed to the hollow pin 482 by one or moreretaining members. Further, one or more bushings, spacers, or supportmembers may be provided to support and properly align the hollow pin 417within the slot 425 of the first chain support 421.

As shown in FIG. 13B, the quick-release pin 484 extends through thehollow pin 417 of the conveyer chain 416 and into the opposite pin hole445 of the carrier bar 440. As illustrated, the quick-release pin 484 isin line with the fixed pin 482 to properly align the carrier bar 440.The quick-release pin 484 may supported within the hollow pin 417 by abushing or other suitable support member. Also, one or more bushings,spacers, or support members may be provided to support and properlyalign the hollow pin 417 within the slot 425 of the second chain support423.

The quick-release pin 484 is slidably mounted to the hollow pin 417 formovement between locked and released positions. A compression spring 486biases the pin 484 into the locked position shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B.As illustrated, the spring 486 is retained between a fixed retainer 487provided to the pin 484 and a spring retainer cup 488 movably supportedby the pin 484. In use, the pin 484 may be pulled or retracted, againstbiasing from the spring 486, to move the pin 484 relative to the hollowpin 417. This relative movement allows the pin 484 to release from thepin hole 445 for removal or insertion of the carrier bar 440.Preferably, the spring 486 is a conical spring to save space as it cancompress substantially flat in use. Also, a knob 489 is secured to thepin 484, e.g., via retaining clip, to facilitate manually movement ofthe pin 484.

In use, each carrier bar 440 is rotatable about the pins 482, 484 withrespect the conveyer chains 414, 416 so that each carrier bar 440 canassume various orientations as it travels along the conveyer path 412.Specifically, as best shown in FIGS. 12A, each carrier bar 440 can stayin a vertical orientation to maintain the article receiving pockets 442in a generally upwardly facing orientation as it travels along the firstprocessing area 403, the drying zone 405, and the second processing area407 of the conveyer path 412. Each carrier bar 440 can be rotated from avertical orientation to allow feeding and inspection along the feed area401 and the inspection and rejection area 409 of the conveyer path 412.Further, each carrier bar 440 can assume a generally downwardly facingorientation to discharge or dump articles along the discharge area 411of the conveyer path 412.

Each carrier bar 440 includes a trailing pin or bearing 454 to providepositive positioning of the carrier bar 440 in order to control theorientation or rotation of the carrier bar 440 in use, e.g., allowcontrolled processing, inspection, and dumping of articles whennecessary. In the illustrated embodiment, the trailing pin 454 is formedseparately from the carrier bar 440 and fixed thereto, e.g., via afastener. However, the trailing pin 454 may be integrally formed in onepiece with the carrier bar 440.

As shown in FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 13A, the trailing pin 454 is provided onan end of the carrier bar 440 and extends into a slot or cam 456provided in the first chain support 421. The slot 456 provides a camtrack (solid line in FIG. 12A) to guide the trailing pin 454 and hencecontrol the orientation of the carrier bar 440. The slot 456 may locatethe trailing pin 454 within a 360° location about the pivot pins 482,484.

In an alternative embodiment, positive positioning of the carrier bars440 may be provided by a magnetic or electromagnetic assembly. Forexample, each carrier bar 440 may include an electromagnetic device thatis activated at selected locations along the conveyer path to controlthe orientation or rotation of each carrier bar 440 in use.

The first chain support 421 also acts as a carrier bar thrust plate toproperly align the plurality of carrier bars 440. Specifically, eachcarrier bar 440 includes an alignment member 466 adjacent the trailingpin 454. The alignment member 466 and trailing pin 454 are biased orthrust (in the direction of the arrow T) towards the first chain support421 by the spring load of the quick-release pin 484. As a result, thealignment member 466 of each carrier bar 440 is biased into engagementwith the exterior surface of the first chain support 421 and/or thetrailing member 454 of each carrier bar 440 is biased into engagementwith the interior surface of the slot 456. This locates and aligns theplurality of carrier bars 440 along the first chain support 421.

FIG. 14 illustrates a side profile of an embodiment of the carrier bar440, and exemplary dimensions of an embodiment. FIG. 15 illustrates anembodiment of adjacent carrier bars 440, and exemplary dimensions of thespacing therebetween in use. The illustrated size and arrangementprovides sufficient clearance for full rotation about the pin axis inuse.

It is noted that the conveyer chains 414, 416 and quick release system478 may be sized and/or configured for light or heavy carrier barapplications, e.g., different pitch sizes. In an embodiment, themounting pins 482, 484 and pin holes 444, 445 may have a diameter in therange of 0.1-0.2 in., e.g., 0.156 in. Also, it is noted that thepositions of the fixed and quick-release pins 482, 484 may be reversed.In an embodiment, both mounting pins may have a quick-releaseconfiguration, and thrust plates may be provided on both sides of thecarrier bars 440 for properly aligning the carrier bars 440 in use.

Also, the arrangement of the conveyer chain 414, 416, conveyer chainsupport 418, carrier bar 440, and/or quick-release system 478 may beincorporated into any of the other conveyer apparatuses described above.

In each of the embodiments described above, the one or more processingstations provided along the conveyer path may include any suitableconfiguration and the loop in the conveyer path is simply provided toincrease the travel time, e.g., between sequential stations, regardlessof their configuration. For example, the processing stations may bemarking apparatuses, inspection units, laser cutters, drying tunnels,etc.

While the conveyer is described as being implemented into a printingsystem of the type described above, having multiple print operationsspaced out over a conveyor path, it may be implemented into otherprinting or processing systems. That is, the printing system is merelyexemplary, and aspects of the present invention may be incorporated intoany suitable processing system, e.g., laser cutting, inspection, etc.,in which additional travel time is desired.

While the invention has been described in connection with what arepresently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments,it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to thedisclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the invention.

1. An apparatus for transporting and processing a plurality of articles,the apparatus comprising: a conveyer structured to convey a plurality ofarticles along a conveyer path; and at least one processing stationprovided along the conveyer path to perform at least one processingoperation, wherein the conveyer path includes at least one loop orfestoon.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveyerincludes a plurality of carrier bars structured to convey the pluralityof articles along the conveyer path.
 3. The apparatus according to claim2, wherein each of the carrier bars includes one or more articlereceiving pockets along its length.
 4. The apparatus according to claim3, wherein each of the carrier bars is movably mounted so that thearticle receiving pockets are maintained in a generally upwardly facingorientation.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of thecarrier bars includes a throughhole extending from each of the pocketsthat is configured to allow a vacuum to maintain the articles inrespective pockets.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein eachof the carrier bars is movably mounted so that the article receivingpockets can be inverted to dump or release articles.
 7. The apparatusaccording to claim 2, wherein each of the carrier bars includes a pinhole offset from the center of gravity that is adapted to engage arespective pin provided by the conveyer.
 8. The apparatus according toclaim 7, wherein the pin is a quick-release pin that is movable betweenlocked and released positions.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 8,wherein the quick-release pin is biased into the locked position by aspring.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of thecarrier bars includes a trailing pin that is adapted to follow a camtrack to control orientation of each of the carrier bars.
 11. Theapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the articles includepharmaceutical, edible, and non-edible articles.
 12. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the at least one processing stationincludes first and second processing stations to perform first andsecond processing operations, and wherein the conveyer path includes theat least one loop or festoon between the first and second processingstations.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first andsecond processing stations include first and second marking apparatusesfor marking desired indicia onto the articles.
 14. The apparatusaccording to claim 13, wherein at least one of the first and secondmarking apparatuses includes an ink pan, a design roll, and a printingroll.
 15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein at least one ofthe first and second marking apparatuses includes an inkjet printer. 16.The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the loop or festoonincludes a travel length to provide sufficient drying time between thefirst and second marking apparatuses.
 17. The apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the loop or festoon provides at least one vertical ornon-horizontal component to the conveyer path.
 18. The apparatusaccording to claim 17, wherein the loop or festoon includes at least onedeclining vertical portion and at least one inclining vertical portion.19. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least onesupplemental processing station provided along the loop or festoon. 20.The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the supplemental processingstation includes a blower or heater.
 21. The apparatus according toclaim 19, wherein the supplemental processing station includes aninspection unit.
 22. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the atleast one loop or festoon is provided upstream from the at least oneprocessing station.
 23. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theat least one loop or festoon is provided downstream from the at leastone processing station.
 24. A method for transporting and processing aplurality of articles, the method comprising: conveying the plurality ofarticles past at least one processing station to perform at least oneprocessing operation; and conveying the plurality of articles along aloop or festoon.
 25. The method according to claim 24, wherein theconveying the plurality of articles past at least one processing stationincludes conveying the plurality of articles past first and secondprocessing stations to perform first and second processing operations,and wherein the loop or festoon is positioned between the first andsecond processing stations.
 26. The method according to claim 25,wherein the conveying the plurality of articles along a loop or festoonincludes providing a travel length that provides sufficient drying timebetween the first and second processing stations.
 27. The methodaccording to claim 24, wherein the conveying the plurality of articlesalong a loop or festoon includes conveying the plurality of articlesalong at least one declining vertical portion and at least one incliningvertical portion.
 28. The method according to claim 24, furthercomprising: transporting the articles on a plurality of carrier bars;and selectively adjusting an orientation of each said carrier bar alongthe conveyor path.
 29. A conveyer for conveying a plurality of articlesalong a conveyer path, the conveyer comprising: a plurality of carrierbars structured to convey the plurality of articles along the conveyerpath, each of the carrier bars including one or more article receivingpockets along its length; and an adjustment mechanism to individuallyadjust a position of each carrier bar relative to the conveyer path. 30.The conveyer according to claim 29, wherein each of the carrier bars isrotatably adjustable relative to the conveyer path.
 31. The conveyeraccording to claim 30, wherein the adjustment mechanism includes atrailing pin and a cam track, the trailing pin adapted to follow withinthe cam track to control the position of each of the carrier bars. 32.The conveyer according to claim 30, wherein the adjustment mechanismincludes an electromagnetic assembly.